Mysterious Black Sarcophagus Finally Opened in Egypt

The huge, 30 ton mortar-sealed black granite sarcophagus unearthed at a construction site in Alexandria, Egypt has finally been opened, two weeks after its discovery.

Public reaction to the initial discovery of the sarcophagus ranged from serious speculation that the tomb may contain the corpse of Alexander the Great to joking threats of ancient curses should it ever be opened.

What Egyptian archaeologists actually found was not so dramatic, but still fascinating and a little disgusting: three decomposed mummies marinating in a soup of dark sewage water that had leaked in through a crack on the side of the casket.

The skulls of the three corpses were removed for further analysis, specifically to determine ages and causes of death. According to The Guardian, mummification specialist Shaaban Abdel Amonem pointed out evidence of arrow injuries on one of the skulls, indicating the buried corpses could have been soldiers.

Found 16 feet underground, the tomb measures 8.6 feet long and over 5 feet wide and also contained an alabaster bust, presumably of a body inside the coffin. According to Dr. Mostafa Waziri, General Secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the sarcophagus may be the largest ever discovered in Alexandria.